Just One Food - Oh Chien

Fried "Oh Chien", or otherwise known as fried oyster omelette, is a street food that's commonly found in Penang but a bit more elusive here in the Klang Valley.  These oh chien hawkers seem to be a dying breed these days as they're not easily found in coffee shops in the Klang Valley.  But, I suppose, if you have a craving, the easiest (probably) would be to get it from the Oyster King chain of restaurants.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find a such a stall (new addition) in my neighbourhood's "pasar malam" (night market) the other day.  It's one of my favourites if they can get the texture and consistency right.  So, I made an order and waited for the hawker to fry it up.

The starch solution is first poured onto the hot iron pan.  He then spreads it out into a thin layer and let it crisp up slowly.  I'm not sure what goes into the starch solution (but from the information online), it could be just one or a combination of flours like corn flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, rice flour or even wheat flour.

Next, he cracked two eggs in (he was making two portions) and added a handful of chopped spring onions (sometimes chives are used) and spread the mixture around.

He pan fries the egg and starch mixture till it's cooked and waits till the edges get crispy before flipping them over.

He then adds some kind of sauce to the oysters before throwing them onto the flat pan (in the foreground).  The fresh oysters are cooked separately and not tossed with the egg mixture (his cooking technique).

A little bit more tossing of the omelette and he then dishes the omelette pieces into a box, scoop up the oysters and place them on top.  Scallop oh chien (in the background) is also available at this stall.

Overall, this was a very decent oh chien.  It had a slightly gooey sticky base at the bottom but not too thick until it had a gummy texture.  It had some crispy textures too (although it did lose some of its crispiness when I got home) and wasn't overly oily.

The oysters were fresh, decently sized, plump and briny in taste.  When you bite into one, it releases a burst of juices into your mouth....and you'll feel like you're in oyster heaven! ;D  This oh chien (with 7 - 8 oysters) costs RM10 a serve which I think is quite reasonable seeing how expensive oysters are these days.

It's best eaten with a good dollop of freshly prepared vinegared garlic chilli sauce and his version was pretty good (in fact, it wasn't enough for me).  The only thing missing was that I wished he had added some chopped fresh coriander on top to make it more fragrant and give it a bit of freshness.

The stall also does a version with scallops (which is just as good) at the same price of RM10...and the scallops aren't those tiny ones either.

I think what differentiates one oh chien from another, fresh and juicy oysters aside, lies in the consistency of the starch mixture and the frying technique...and this stall does both well.  Get these two things right and you'll have an addictive and decadent dish of skillfully prepared oh chien loved by many!  I don't know about you but I know I do!! ;-)